Christmas Countdown - Organising your home

As we head towards the big day, it’s the final stretch of our Christmas Countdown and we hope that we’ve helped you prepare your home for the holidays with less stress this year. In this post, we’ve suggested some last-minute tips to make sure nothing gets forgotten and, if you missed any of our earlier posts in this series, we’ve provided a quick recap below.

And don’t forget, if organising Christmas was more stressful than you’d hoped, then Hour Hands can help you get on top of it for next year. Our Christmas Preparation service can take care of your decorations, presents, cards and wrapping, plus we can even wait in for your Christmas food delivery. Please get in touch and we can make a note to contact you in good time next year.

You may remember that we’ve already talked about Christmas cards, and if you’ve yet to write them then now’s the time to start! We’ve pulled together the Royal Mail posting dates along with the last delivery dates for online shopping. If you’re short of time, then we can also take your address book and create a sheet of mailing labels for you, to make posting your cards that bit easier. Still too daunting? We can even write them for you! Contact us to find out how Hour Hands can make your family Christmas a bit easier this year.

Mailing label service

If you’ve a number of cards to send then writing all those addresses can be very time consuming. But we’ve found a way to make it easier for you. Send us your addresses in electronic format and we’ll turn them into a mail merge file that creates handy sheets of mailing labels, allowing you to just stick and post. This service starts at just £35, for less than 100 addresses, and we can post the labels back to you or arrange delivery. Or if your addresses are only in a handwritten format, then we can take your address book (or even just a photo of the relevant pages) and return it to you with the labels and an electronic file from just £60. Just make sure you allow enough time for you to hit the last posting dates! Contact us to book in as soon as you can.

Royal Mail posting dates

The last dates for posting parcels and letters are earlier than usual this year, because Christmas Day falls on a Monday. Don’t be caught short – here are the dates you need to know:

Second Class: Wednesday 20 December

First Class: Thursday 21 December

Special Delivery Guaranteed: Thursday 21 December

Special Delivery Guaranteed Saturday: Friday 22 December

Online shopping

Many of us will be buying gifts online this year, so it pays to know the last ordering dates for delivery in time for Christmas. These can start as early as 17 December (next weekend!) and run as late as 23 December, so plan your shopping accordingly. But bear in mind that delivery can be disrupted by all sorts of things, including the weather, so allow a bit of extra time if you can. Here are some of the key dates for our favourite online retailers:

The advent calendars are up, the decorations are down from the loft, and now it’s time to think about the big day itself. We’ve put together our top tips to help you organise your food shop with minimal hassle. Check out our must-have Christmas Dinner Checklist, a round-up of the local shops, the best ready-made options, and we’ve even included the Hour Hands team’s favourite festive recipes.

If you’re short on time then don’t forget that Hour Hands can help organise all aspects of your family Christmas – even waiting in for your Christmas food delivery if you’re going to be out. Contact us to find out how we can make things easier for you.

Christmas Dinner Checklist

Christmas dinner is often viewed as one of the most stressful meals of the year to prepare, and with so many little extras (cranberry sauce!) and the pressure to get it perfect, it can feel daunting. We love this Christmas Dinner Checklist to help you get everything purchased, prepped, and presented on the table right on schedule.

Keep it local

Your local shops offer a huge range of excellent produce without having to fight through the supermarket queues. Here’s our favourites.

Spirits & Wine

Buy In

Retailers are switching on to the need for great-quality, ready-made options. There are plenty of excellent time-saving choices available, from Christmas dinner boxes to completely prepared frozen meals, direct to your door.

“This recipe is great as it can be made well in advance or just a few days before Christmas, so you can make it whenever you have a little spare time. It’s also nut-free, so great for those with allergies.”

Have you bought your advent calendars yet? This year the shops are pulling out all the stops with some lavish – and unusual – options to treat yourself in the lead up to the big day. So whether you prefer a pampering beauty cream, a luxury chocolate, your favourite cheeky tipple, or even pork scratchings (yes, really!), there truly is something for everyone. Take a look at our favourites and give yourself a little treat!

It’s also time to get your cards written – don’t be caught out this year! If you’re short of time, the Hour Hands elves can take care of all your card writing and posting. And we can even buy and wrap all items on your gift list for you, leaving you time to enjoy the festive season. Contact us to find out how we can make things a little easier this Christmas.

Most of us collect new Christmas decorations every year, and then promptly hide them out of sight in a garage or loft for another 12 months. This year, in the spirt of following our 12-week plan for an organised Christmas, take your decorations out of hiding early and sort through them. We promise you it won’t take as long as you think!

But if you don’t have time to do this yourself, the Hour Hands Christmas elves will be more than happy to sort and pack your decorations – either now or after Christmas. And we can even dress your tree in your chosen style – simply contact us to find out more.

Clear the clutter

Take the opportunity to edit your growing collection by getting rid of any old decorations that you no longer need or like, and check that all your fairy lights are in working order. This is also a good time to work out the best storage solution for those decorations you want to keep. This way, you can make sure everything is properly protected from damp and damage while hidden away, and the whole process of assembling Christmas each year will become so much easier.

A place for everything

Here are some of our favourite clever storage solutions to keep everything in tip-top condition, year after year.

Fairy light storage

No more tangled wires with these clever fairy light winders from Betterware.